Gutierrezia microcephala
small-head snakeweed, sticky snakeweed, threadleaf snakeweed
glabrous or minutely hispidulous.
basal and proximal absent at flowering;
cauline blades 1-nerved, linear or filiform to narrowly oblanceolate or lanceolate, 0.5–2.2(–4) mm wide, little reduced distally.
cylindric, 1–1.5 mm diam.
1(–2; each enclosed by conduplicate inner phyllary);
corollas yellow, (1.5–)2–3.5 mm.
1, sometimes 2 (functionally staminate; corollas broadly obdeltate-funnelform, throats widely flaring, lobes 1/3 corolla lengths, recurved-coiling).
(2–6, sessile to subsessile, in compact glomerules) in flat-topped arrays.
1–1.8(–2.5) mm, faces densely strigoso-sericeous;
pappi (rays, readily falling) of 1 series of narrowly lanceolate-oblong scales.
apices flat.
= 8, 16, 24, 32.
Gutierrezia microcephala
Gutierrezia microcephala is recognized by its perennial habit and its small, tightly clustered heads, each with 4–8 phyllaries and 1(–2) ray and disc florets. Each ray floret is enclosed by a conduplicate inner phyllary. Forms of G. sarothrae with few florets in each head can be distinguished by their bisexual and fertile disc florets and tubular-funnelform disc corollas.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
SW CO Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
